Yalta [antikvár]

Introduction Why should we concern ourselves with a conference which took place more than forty years ago and lasted only eight days? Because, after so many months and years our continent does not know real peace. The present status of Europe is a status of fact: to the east, parties that are not only unique but also vassals of the Communist party of the USSR; to the west, liberal regimes with their weak points, but also their treasure—basic freedoms, freedom of the press, free elections, and representative governments. However, within the Soviet Union as within its European allies, something is beginning to stir. We don't yet know what will come of this. But evolution (not crisis free) does not seem to be out of the question. If this is so, it may be useful to think over the causes of the 1945 partition of Europe. We have attempted to identify these causes by studying the Yalta Conference and its consequences, i.e., the crisis which broke out between the USSR and its allies as early as February 1945 and perpetuated itself through various stages long after victory in the spring. We have tried to find out what it was difficult to avoid, what might